Banner

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Everyone has a right to their opinion.
Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah! Is it possible – Please,
Lord, tell me it is! – to ask (No, not ask. Beg! Plead!) for people to let
their common sense be their true north no matter what their opinion is? That
they stop reading books that are outside of their preferred genre… especially
if they hate any and every book outside of their preferred genre?

NEWSFLASH: If you
hate historical fiction, you’re going to hate a book that is a historical
fiction. Because of that, I’m going to strongly encourage that you avoid
historical fictions… that you close the book and move to the next one if you
accidentally open a historical fiction and begin reading it… that you read and
rate only books that are firmly embedded within the genre you love.

I’ll tell you what’s forcing me to climb up on to my soapbox
– once again – and call people out on
something that I truly believe to be their problem and not the poor defenseless
books that just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, usually
because the person got the book for free (or via an ARC) and their rating of books
negatively is something they do for.... (I'll let each of you imagine all the reasons these negative reviews could be posted.) Please know, I’m not on
this soapbox because someone read one of my books at hated it (though I’ve had
my share of these exact types of situations). I’m on it because lots of people
read Richelle Mead’s newest book, The Glittering Court (The
Glittering Court #1), and have rated it abysmally, and I’m appalled
by the ratings and the comments.

I read The
Glittering Court from cover to cover and could not find the flaws the
people reading and rating this book negatively ‘claim’ to have found. The story
was unique. It was beautifully told. Perfectly paced. There were twists and
turns in such a way that you could not tell at the beginning of this story
where the characters were going to end up. Also… let’s face it… the author is Richelle Mead.
Her publisher is Penguin Random House.
Does anyone actually believe either of them would produce and/or release
anything that is not the best of the best? The answer: ‘No! Hell no! They wouldn’t.’

Because this wonderfully written and carefully plotted book
has over 1,200 ratings and 429 reviews and an average rating of 3.53 stars, I’m left to conclude that
people are reading this book with the assumption that it will be filled with
paranormal characters because this author is best known for her vampires, her alchemists, her succubus, her fairies, and her Gods and they are left disappointed
when they find this series contains none of that… though it’s just as glamorous
in it’s own way.

The fact is that this book and it’s characters’ stories are
meant to do more than entertain through paranormal. It’s meant to gently bring
to the surface religious intolerance from the eyes of people living in the
1800’s while reminding us that we see the very same types of narrow-mindedness
everyday within in the headlines of today’s worldwide newspapers. It shows
where women – and their lack of rights – were during that era and helps us
understand that there are still cultures whereby these same practices are
carried out on a daily basis… that some women live in countries/cultures where
girls’ still do not have the right to chose their husband themselves and/or are
forced to do what they have to do in order to protect their families.

It is completely possibly that there are people who are
reading for pleasure do not want to be reminded (even if the reminders are
embedded so deeply and the subjects are brought up so gently that you barely
even notice them) of where we, as women, have been and where we, as women, still
have to go. That we must take each and every one of those steps hand-in-hand,
united, and together. We should begin our journey by embracing Richelle Mead
and thanking her for taking a chance and writing this book, for envisioning
these characters, and for asking us all to step out of our comfort zone. We
could demand that other women stop beating her up for not writing one more
vampire book or for forgoing another book of fairies.

For me, this series has the power to take root, to grow, and
to make a difference. If we allow others to beat it up and pretend as if it is not as good as it is, there might never be another in the series. Preventing an
author from following her heart and listening to the characters screaming their
way through her/his mind is a travesty in and of itself. It’s something I hope Richelle Mead
is not forced to experience with this series.

As for me, I rate this book with a solid 5 stars. Please keep
in mind that I am one of those people who avoid historical fictions in most
situations, and – even then – I will continue to read all of the books in this
series because I see how enlightening it could be and where this series could
end. In my humble opinion, it simply needs a chance to evolve and enough people demanding it be allowed to do just that.

About Me

She lives in Texas with her husband, their nineteen-year-old
daughter, and nine-year-old son. Besides being blessed with a supportive
family, she counts her career as an administrator and registered nurse in
not-for-profit hospitals among her most fulfilling accomplishments.

My Goodreads Book Shelf

Honestly, Emily's story is a hard one to write, but it is one that must be told. Her life is one worth reading about and learning from in spite of the atrocities carried out against her and the people she loves and no matter how gut-wren...

I'm excited to reveal that I've written the first book, Left, in a new series, Still Standing.
Left
is not a book I'd planned to write. It's a story that found me and would not let me go until it was done. In fact, I was near...

Everlasting by Alyson Noel.The final book of The Immortals Series is the perfect ending to a series filled with love, hate, romance, passion, regret, and the effects (positive and negative) of karma.
We've known for a while that Ever, ...

Let me start the review of Grave Bound by saying this book is an adult contemporary written for audiences 18+. The genre is solid without even a hint of paranormal, fantasy, or Christian.
There were two reasons for me to make a change ...

If healing a dying person could kill you, would you do it? That is the question Dr. Allison La Crosse must ask herself every time she gives in to her compulsion to save people who are near death. By saving them, she agrees to take on the...

Ella and Micha... could two young people be more messed up yet compliment each other more perfectly? I think not.
Jessica Sorensen has a rare talent when it comes to building sexual tension between characters, and The Secret of Ella an...

If healing a dying person could kill you, would you do it? That is the question Dr. Allison La Crosse must ask herself every time she gives in to her compulsion to save people who are near death. By saving them, she agrees to take on the...

Colleen Houck has done an incredible job of maintaining The Tiger Saga's excitement, adventure, tenderness, and passion with Tiger's Destiny. I've said before that this is one of my all-time favorite series, and with its final book, tha...

The Immortal Rules is one of those books that takes you - first - by surprise and - second - for the ride of your life. It is anything but another vampire book. It's a romance that leaves you wanting more... hoping for more.
Equally am...

I'm embarrassed to say that I purposefully avoided Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) for a long while. I'm not a fan of the whole Cinderella story being told and retold. Mistake. Big mistake. Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) is so deep and so uni...

Insurgent is one of those books that messes with your psyche and makes you question every character, their motives, and their actions. Veronica Roth is so talented that those who betray Tris might well have betrayed me because the acts f...

Divergent is one of those stories that pulls you in and never lets you go. Veronica Roth's talent is unquestionable. She begins this story with a scrawny and weak girl and ends with a formidable and powerful woman. This is not easily acc...

Clary, Jace, and Simon are back and better than ever in City of Lost Souls. Sebastian does a great job at replacing Valentine and manipulating Jace...much to Clary's dismay. Clary is as headstrong and committed as she's ever been...muc...

I can say with absolute certainty that Enemies of the Cross is my favorite book of The Warrior Series. Yes, I do like it more than Warriors of the Cross and Guardians of the Cross. Within it, I've ratcheted up the excitement to a point...

Tiger's Voyage is another wonderful book within one of my favorite series to date. Colleen Houck is a phenomenal author who has done a great job writing a story filled with heart-squeezing romance, unbelievably believable fantasy world...

Tiger's Quest (The Tiger Saga #2) had so many parts to it that I literally felt as if I'd read three seperate books once it was over...all equally amazing. I said with Tiger's Curse (The Tiger Saga #1) that Colleen Houck had instantanee...

This is an AMAZING... PHENOMENAL... WONDERFUL series, and it has instantly shot to the top of my personal all-time favorite series list. I should mention that I have three series tied for the top spot honors, meaning I could never choos...

Torment is a strong follow-up to Fallen. In it, we are reunited with our favorite characters (Luce, Daniel, and Cameron) and are introduced to several new ones (Miles and Shelby), who are memorable enough for us to long to see - much - ...

WHAT A FINALE!! Really...I'm not sure it could have been any better!
I loved the way E.L. James began Fifty Shades Freed. Instead of walking us through the 'same old, same old'. She moved us ahead and let us relive some of the not ...

As much as I loved Fifty Shades of Grey, this book is where the series hooks you. We begin not only seeing but also becoming angry over every childhood tragedy behind the darkness plaguing Ana's beloved Christian. Believe me, it doesn'...

Fifty Shades of Grey should absolutely positively NOT to be judged by its c...(uh. um.) genre. If you do, you will miss out on one of the best series and the most endearing, interesting, polarizing, and passionate characters I've ever ...

This novella is more about Ash and Puck's relationship than anything. Making it all the more special is the fact that it is told by Puck and his point of view. Summer's Crossing gave us a glimpse into Puck's mind and made him even more...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The Iron Fey Series is a great series. The Iron Knight does not disappoint when it comes to action (especially the action), adventure, and love.
No longer abstract or vague, 'the end of th...

The Iron Fey Series is the kind of series I love, and The Iron Queen is an amazing read. Believe it or not, this series gets better and better with each tender moment...each dangerous adventure...each phenomenal book. I'm sure some par...

My love for this series was sealed with this book. I adored everything about it. The love triangle is so complicated that I can't blame Meghan for falling for two wonderful people. Both guys are completely unique and endearing. Princ...

Let me start off by saying The Iron King is a wonderfully written book, and Julie Kagawa has created a great new world within it. It took me a little longer than usual to really get into it, but that was about me and not the book or the...

My biggest problem with Forever by Maggie Stiefvater is the fact that there's not a fourth book in the series (at least, not yet).
With Shiver and Linger, I enjoyed reading about Grace and Sam...the evolution of their relationship, lov...

Linger is proof that the second book in a series can be better than the first. A fact I never would have believed after finishing Shiver. When I read Maggie Stiefvater's writing, I'm amazed at the way she describes the tiniest things.....

There are many things to keep you interested while you are reading Shiver.
First, you are constantly reminded of the temperature. By the end of the book, you are conditioned to need that 'clue' to help you know if the chapter is goin...

This powerful book should come with a warning: May cause depression
Somehow, Suzanne Collins described Katniss' unbearably bleak situation from the beginning of Mockingjay until the end in such a manner that I began feeling sad myself....

Catching Fire is a phenomenal follow-up to The Hunger Games. Now that it's finished, I feel like I'm suffering from a strange compulsion...one pushing me to read Mockingjay as soon as possible in order to find out what happens to people...

The Hunger Games is one of those timeless books that will stay with you forever. In some ways, it is reminiscent of The Lottery combined with a modern-day reality show similar to Survivor. It's a talented author who can describe starvati...

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) is a fantastic follow-up to the Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1). Of course, I would expect nothing more from Cassandra Clare. What a phenomenal author, writer, and story-teller.
T...

Everything you loved about Warriors of the Cross becomes deeper embedded and more fully developed within each action-packed page, making Guardians of the Cross an exciting continuation.
Moving to the next level, relationships evolve...

I'll be honest...I can't give an real review on this or any of the other Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. What I can tell you is my seven year old son LOVES the books from this series enough to forego Wii, Xbox, baseball practice, and touch ...

I just finished reading (okay...listening to) Destined (House of Night #9) by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast. It reminded me of the time in my life when I was naïve enough to think good always prevails…love was all it took…and anything was pos...

How can such a benign thing as a book of white pages filled with black words – ones that mean nothing when uttered separately – become so powerful? DO NOT GO GENTLE… DO NOT GO GENTLE… DO NOT GO GENTLE. The words resonate in my mind, re...

Silence, a great third book in a series with a long, long future. If you are a fan of Hush, Hush and Crescendo (and let's just face it...Patch), the only disappointment you will experience is the fact that the book ends. I know this be...

Even though Beelzebub Girl & the Ancient Legends Series is brimming with vampires, fallen angels, and demons, Jayde Scott continues to do a great job at creating and MAINTAINING an original story-line that will keep readers coming back a...